Multiple Choice
Which of the following is NOT a typical sign of viral activity in a host organism?
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1. Introduction to Microbiology
Acellular Infectious Agents: Viruses, Viroids & Prions
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Which acellular infectious agent is described as a tiny, nonliving particle that invades and then reproduces inside a living cell?
A
Prion
B
Virus
C
Viroid
D
Bacterium
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand the key characteristics described: the agent is acellular, tiny, nonliving, and requires a living cell to reproduce.
Recall definitions of each option: A prion is an infectious protein without nucleic acids; a viroid is a small infectious RNA molecule affecting plants; a bacterium is a living cellular organism.
Recognize that only viruses fit all criteria: they are acellular particles composed of nucleic acid and protein, nonliving outside a host, and reproduce by invading living cells.
Eliminate options that do not match all criteria: prions do not contain nucleic acids and do not reproduce inside cells in the traditional sense; viroids infect plants specifically; bacteria are living cells themselves.
Conclude that the correct acellular infectious agent described is a virus.
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